The Gazillionaire, Olivia Newton-John and Penny Pibbets at “Absinthe” in Caesars Palace.

Ben Lewis / Spiegelworld

The Gazillionaire, Giada De Laurentiis and Penny Pibbets at “Absinthe” on Friday, March 7, 2014, at Caesars Palace.

It’s that time of year again. National Sock Puppet Day is Friday, and Las Vegas sock-puppet extraordinaire Penny Pibbets, who stars in “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace with her sock puppets, talks sock puppets, Raku Sweets, “Guess Who?” and Lamb Chop.

How are you commemorating National Sock Puppet Day this year?

This year, like every year, my puppets and I gather together on Sock Puppet Eve, and we party all night. We Skype in all our families from The Netherlands (there’s a huge Sock Puppet population out there).

It’s really a cathartic time. We reminisce about the year before, eat too many jellybeans, talk about why we hate our parents and play the board game “Guess Who?”

How should your fans celebrate the day, besides by watching “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace?

Take your laundry out, it doesn’t have to be clean, find a sock, put it on your hand, and let it say the things you’ve been holding back all these years (repeat.)

Who do your sock puppets like the most — and least — in “Absinthe”?

I would say it’s the same person: The Gazillionaire. Although they love and respect him, they feel like he’s a fascist dictator and hope to destroy him and take over the world one day. HAHAHAHA! They’re so funny!

I watched the third-anniversary performance of “Absinthe” in April. Your sock puppets are as dirty as ever. Do you ever wash them? And their potty mouths with soap?

I can’t wash them. If I wash them, they cease to exist. Plus, they throw a tantrum every time I put the bath on, so …

How many sock puppets have there been in three years of “Absinthe”?

Ten.

What are some of your sock puppets’ favorite attractions and activities in Las Vegas?

The Penny puppet on my right hand loves the dessert place Raku Sweets (she gets high on all that sugar and thinks the Asian girls who make those really pretty desserts are like little cute magical elves).

The Russian puppet on my left hand likes Hakkasan at MGM Grand. Sometimes he comes home at 5 in the morning with these other sock puppets, and I swear that they’re strippers.

Are the rumors of a Lamb Chop-inspired sock puppet in “Absinthe” true? Inquiring Las Vegas Sun readers want to know!

I’m contracted not to speak about that. All I can say is that we have a deep respect for our ancestors, and we are currently in talks with the Lamb Chop people and would love to work with them in the future.

National Sock Puppet Day is Friday. And if you took this Q+A too seriously, you might need to put a puppet in your sock.

Don Chareunsy is senior editor for arts and entertainment of the Las Vegas Sun.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

HakkasanHakkasan is the new five-level 80,000-square-foot upscale restaurant, lounge and dayclub and nightclub in the MGM Grand that is opening April 18 in the space formerly occupied by Studio 54.
On the first floor is Hakkasan's main dining room, a Cantonese restaurant decorated with lattice cages. The eatery is set to open May 3 and will be captained by Chef Ho Chee Boon. It will serve dinner from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. The Las Vegas menu hasn’t been released yet, but the company’s other locations feature soups, small plates, seafood, meats, poultry, tofu and vegetables.
On the second level is a private dining room that will cater to diners with deep pockets. While the menu is the same, the room offers a panoramic view of the restaurant below.
The third floor brings the 10,000-square-foot Ling Ling lounge, an intimate nightspot that acts as a transition to the main nightclub upstairs.
Above that? Another club: Hakkasan’s main nightclub. Hakkasan’s DJ lineup will include some of the biggest names in the electronic music industry: DeadMau5, Tiesto, Calvin Harris and Steve Aoki. Other artists include Danny Avila, Dada Life, Bambi and Quintino.
And above it, the Pavilion, an Asian garden with its own bar and DJ.
Hakkasan’s nightclub will be open Thursday through Sunday, from 10 p.m. until “late.” Guests must be 21 years or older.
Cover charge and table reservation prices vary. Online tickets for upcoming events begin at $30 for general admission tickets for women. Charges for men presumably are higher but aren’t listed.
Reservations for the nightclub can be made at hakkasanlv.com or by calling 891-3838.

3799 Las Vegas Boulevard S.Las Vegas,
NV89109

702-212-8804

Caesars Palace

Transport yourself to the opulent and excessive Roman Empire at Caesars Palace. But the ever-changing Caesars Palace is far from ancient. The hotel and casino is constantly raising the bar for what visitors can expect in a Vegas resort experience.

Caesars Palace features 3,348 rooms and suites in five towers, including the new luxury boutique Nobu Hotel and Restaurant, which opened Feb. 4, 2013, in the totally remodeled Centurian Tower. Caesars features 129,000 square feet of gaming space, including the Strip’s largest poker room and a 250-seat sports book. Other amenities include about two dozen restaurants, a four-level shopping mall, four pools, a spa, Pure and Poetry nightclubs and Pussycat Dolls.